10 words that ruin a resume

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Career Advice Resumes & Letters Resume Writing Tips 10 Words and Terms That Ruin a Resume

10 Words and Terms That Ruin a Resume

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By Charles Purdy, Monster Senior Editor

Your resume needs an update -- that is, if your resume is like that of most people,its not as good as it could be. The problem is language: Most resumes are athicket of deadwood words and phrases -- empty cliches, annoying jargon andrecycled buzzwords. Recruiters, HR folks and hiring managers see these terms

over and over again, and it makes them sad.

Wouldnt you rather make them happy? Its time to start rakingout your resume, starting with these (and similar) terms.

1. Salary negotiable

Yes, they know. If youre wasting a precious line of yourresume on this term, it looks as though youre padding -- thatyouve run out of things to talk about. If your salary is not negotiable, that would be somewhat unusual.(Still, dont put that on your resume either.)

2. References available by request

See the preceding comment about unnecessary terms.

3. Responsible for ______

Reading this term, the recruiter can almost picture the C-average, uninspired employee mechanicallyfulfilling his job requirements -- no more, no less. Having been responsible for something isnt somethingyou did -- its something that happened to you. Turn phrases like responsible for into managed, led orother decisive, strong verbs.

4. Experience working in ______

Again, experience is something that happens to you -- not something you achieve. Describe yourbackground in terms of achievements.

5. Problem-solving skills

You know who else has problem-solving skills? Monkeys. Dogs. On your resume, stick to skills thatrequire a human.

6. Detail-oriented

So, you pay attention to details. Well, so does everyone else. Dont you have something unique to tell thehiring manager? Plus, putting this on your resume will make that accidental typo in your cover letter or

resume all the more comical.

7. Hardworking

Have you ever heard the term show -- dont tell? This is where that might apply. Anyone can call himselfa hard worker. Its a lot more convincing if you describe situations in concrete detail in which your hardwork benefited an employer.

8. Team player

See the preceding comment about showing instead of telling. There are very few jobs that dont involveworking with someone else. If you have relevant success stories about collaboration, put them on yourresume. Talk about the kinds of teams you worked on, and how you succeeded.

9. Proactive

This is a completely deflated buzzword. Again, show rather than tell.

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10. Objective

This term isnt always verboten, but you should use it carefully. If your objective is to get the job youveapplied for, theres no need to spell that out on your resume with its own heading. A resume objective isusually better replaced by a career summary describing your background, achievements and what youhave to offer an employer. An exception might be if you havent applied for a specific job and dont have alot of experience that speaks to the position youd like to achieve.

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